Toronto Public Health Investigating three Confirmed Cases of the Measles
At least three people now have measles in the city of Toronto, and one of them is at an elementary school.
A person at Huron Street Junior Public School, located in the Annex neighbourhood, was diagnosed with measles, although it is not known if it is a student.
Parents at the school were notified of the exposure, said Lenore Bromley, spokesperson for Toronto Public Health in a media release. Vaccine clinics are being held there.
Ages of the three people in Toronto who have contracted the measles were not given for reasons of privacy, said Dr. Michael Finkelstein, associate medical officer of health.
One of the three cases originated in another country while the other two people affected live outside the GTA.
“Because measles has been eliminated from Canada, most measles is imported,†Finkelstein said.
Most cases detected here are from people traveling to other places where measles is much more common, he added.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily. Most vulnerable are those who are have not had the two doses of a measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV), or have not had measles in the past. Infants under one year of age, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems can get very ill with measles, Bromley said.
Measles can cause death, although this is very uncommon, Finkelstein said.
Symptoms start out as a sore throat, cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis, symptoms of which are red, watery eyes sensitive to light. This is followed with a high fever, and the classic rash, which starts in the head and works its way down the body.
“But measles can cause complications,†Finkelstein said.
These can include more serious health effects, such as ear infections and pneumonia. In very rare cases (less than one in 1,000), measles can cause a swelling of the brain known as encephalitis, which can cause brain damage.
Anyone experiencing any of these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider as soon as possible and not attend work or school.
While the risk of acquiring measles is low, people should check immunization records to make sure that all family members are up to date with the measles vaccination, and to make sure immunizations are up to date for people who plan to travel.
Toronto has a population that travels a lot, so measles is a lot more common here than in a place such as Halifax, which saw three cases of measles earlier this year after having had none for nine years.
While 2016 saw no cases of measles in Toronto, 2015 saw 10 cases that were clustered around the start of the year around February and March, Finfelstein said.
According to Bromley, people may have been exposed to measles in a number of settings in Toronto during the period of Mar. 19 to 30, including:
Mar. 19: Emirates Airline flight EK517, which departed Delhi, India at 4:12 p.m. and arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at 6:13 p.m.
Mar. 20: Emirates Airline flight EK241, which departed Dubai, United Arab Emirates at 9:55 a.m. and arrived in Toronto at 4:04 p.m.
Mar. 21: Caledonian Bar, 865 College St.
Mar. 22:
- • WestJet flight WS450, which departed Abbottsford, B.C. at 5:49 a.m. and arrived in Calgary at 7:50 a.m.
- • WestJet flight WS610, which departed Calgary at 10:15 a.m. and arrived in Ottawa at 3:47 p.m.
- • WestJet flight WS369, which departed Ottawa at 4:40 p.m. and arrived in Toronto at 5:42 p.m.
Mar. 23:
WestJet flight WS590, which departed Toronto at 4:27 p.m. and arrived in Montreal at 5:41 p.m.
Mar. 24:
- • WestJet flight WS581, which departed Montreal at 7:55 a.m. and arrived in Toronto at 9:13 a.m.
- • WestJet flight WS2668, which departed Toronto at 10:16 a.m. and arrived in Turks and Caicos Islands at 1:56 p.m.
- • WestJet flight WS2669, which departed Turks and Caicos Islands at 2:59 p.m. and arrived in Toronto at 7:15 p.m.
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